Engine compartment access door latch system

ABSTRACT

A pair of engine side shield structures are provided at the opposite sides of a vehicle engine and are supported on the frame of the vehicle. Each side shield structure includes a fixed baffle plate section, and upper and lower access doors which overlap the baffle section. The upper and lower doors are pivotally connected along lower edges thereof for swingable movement between respective closed positions wherein the panels are disposed vertically, one above the other, so as to block access to the inside of the engine compartment, and open positions wherein they are displaced angularly from their closed positions so as to permit access to the inside of the engine compartment. Integral with the lower door is an operator support structure which is located in the engine compartment when the lower door is in its closed position and which is located alongside the vehicle frame and projects outwardly therefrom to provide an operator support when the lower door is in its open position. Associated with the first door is a latch mechanism which can be padlocked in place so as to prevent unauthorized opening of the engine compartment, a further latch mechanism being associated with the second door and located such that it is entirely inside the engine compartment when the upper and lower doors are in their closed positions. A third latch mechanism is associated with the lower door and must be released before the first door can be opened to provide access to the latch mechanism associated with the second door.

United States Patent 1191 Von Fummetti et al.

1 ENGINE COMPARTMENT ACCESS DOOR LATCH SYSTEM [75] Inventors: CyrilWilliam Von Fummetti; David Dennis Latham, both of Dubuque, Iowa [73]Assignee: Deere & Company, Moline, 111.

[22] Filed: Apr. 19, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 462,586

Primary Examiner-David Schonberg Assismn! ExaminerTerranc'-e L. Siemens[57] ABSTRACT A pair of engine side shield structures are provided atthe opposite sides of a vehicle engine and are sup- 1451 Feb. 11, 1975ported on the frame of the vehicle. Each side shield structure includesa fixed baffle plate section, and upper and lower access doors whichoverlap the baffle section. The upper and lower doors are pivotallyconnected along lower edges thereof for swingable movement betweenrespective closed positions wherein the panels are disposed vertically,one above the other, so as to block access to the inside of the enginecompart ment, and open positions wherein they are displaced angularlyfrom their closed positions so as to permit access to the inside of theengine compartment. lntegral with the lower door is an operator supportstructure which is located in the engine compartment when the lower dooris in its closed position and which is located alongside the vehicleframe and projects outwardly therefrom to provide an operator supportwhen the lower door is in its open position. Associated with the firstdoor is a latch mechanism which can be padlocked in place so as toprevent unauthorized opening of the engine compartment, a further latchmechanism being associated with the second door and located such that itis entirely inside the engine compartment when the upper and lower doorsare in their closed positions. A third latch mechanism is associatedwith the lower door and must be released before the first door can beopened to provide access to the latch mechanism associated with thesecond door.

8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures SHEEI 2 BF 4 Pic-12 PATENTED FEB] 1 I875SHEET 3 BF 4 i ll ENGINE COMPARTMENT ACCESS DOOR LATCH SYSTEM BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an engine side shieldstructure and more particularly relates to a side shield structure of atype having an operator platform integral therewith and particularlyadaptable for use with rela tively large vehicles such as industrialtractors or the like having engine compartments which are elevated asubstantial distance above the ground thus necessitating the use of somesort of elevated support for an operator in order that he may performroutine servicing of an engine located in the compartment.

One known industrial vehicle includes a fender which extends alongsideand defines a compartment which is adjunct to the engine compartment.Access to the compartment in the fender is provided through means of avertically swingable door forming a part of the fender and movablebetween a closed position wherein it blocks access to the compartmentand an open position wherein it extends alongside the vehicle andpermits access to the compartment. A step is integral with the door andis located in the compartment in the fender when the door is in itsclosed position and extends outwardly for use by the operator when thedoor is in its open position. A second door is provided for selectivelyblocking and permitting access to the engine compartment, the first andsecond doors cooperating to block access to both compartments when thedoors are in the closed positions. Lock means are provided for securingthe doors in their closed positions so as to prevent vandalism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there isprovided a novel engine side shield assembly including first and secondaccess or service doors and more particularly there is provided a novellatch system for securing the doors in their closed positions, the doorsbeing mounted for vertical swinging movement between respective closedpositions blocking access to the interior of the engine compartment andrespective open positions permitting access to the engine compartment.

An object of the invention is to provide an engine side shield, asdescribed in the preceding paragraph, which includes a baffle platestructure, the access doors being supported on the vehicle frame throughmeans of the baffle structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide first and second latchmeans respectively for latching the first and second access doors intheir operative positions, the first latch means being held in place bya security lock, such as a padlock or the like, installable exteriorlyof the compartment and the second latch means being located entirelywithin the compartment and inaccessible until the first access door isopened.

These and other objects will become apparent from reading the followingdescription in conjunction with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a right side elevationalview of an industrial tractor of the type with which the presentinvention is particularly adapted for use;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the tractor shown inEFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged right side elevational view of a portion of thetractor showing the right side shield structure and a part of thevehicle frame;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3 but showing only theright side portion of the tractor and showing the integral first accessdoor and operator support in a dotted line open position;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 but showing only theintegral first access door and operator support structure;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the junction between the engine sideshield structure and the vehicle frame, as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing the firstlocking rod of the latch means for the second access door and itsrelationship to the first access door when the latter is closed;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 3showing one horizontal locking pin operable for releasably retaining thefirst access door in its operative position;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the bracket shown in FIG. 8 for supportingthe latching pin;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG.3 and showing a second one of the horizontal latching pins operable forsecuring the first access door in its operative position and furthershow ing a safety latch retained in an aperture in the first access doorthrough means of a padlock for preventing the first door from beingopened.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While the engine side shieldstructure of the present invention may be applied to vehicles havingvarious configurations, it is here applied to an articulated fourwheeldrive loader indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10. Theloader 10 includes front and rear sections 12 and 14, respectively,interconnected by a vertical pivot assembly 16, the front and rearsections respectively including front and rear frames 18 and 20supported on front and rear pairs of wheels 22 and 24.

A support arm structure 26 extends forwardly from and has its rear endpivotally connected to the front frame 18, as is conventional, forpermitting vertical movement of the arm structure 26. A bucket 28 ispivotally connected to the forward ends of the arm structure 26 in aconventional manner for permitting tilting movement of the bucket and apower-operated tilt linkage 30 is connected between the frame I8 and thebucket 28 for accomplishing tilting of the bucket.

Mounted on the rear vehicle section 14 just rearwardly of the frontsection 12 is an operator station 32 including a cab 34 in which islocated a seat 36 for supporting an operator so that he can operatevarious controls located within his reach, one such control being asteering wheel 38 located forwardly of the seat. Supported so as toextend outwardly from the right side of the rear frame 20 are aplurality of vertically spaced steps 40 which lead to a horizontalplatform 42 that extends alongside the cab 34 on a level even with thethreshold of a door 44 of the cab to thus provide a support structurefor an operator entering or leaving the cab 34.

A box-shaped reservoir 46 is mounted on the frame just rearwardly of thecab 34 and includes a vertical rear wall 48 which bounds the forward endof an engine compartment 50. A grill housing 52 is mounted on the rearend of the frame 20 and bounds the rear end of the engine compartment50. The top and upper side portions of the engine compartment 50 arebounded by a hood 54 which extends longitudinally between the reservoir46 and the grill housing 52 and has its forward and rearward endsrespectively supported on flanges 56 and 58, respectively, that areintegral with the reservoir wall 48 and the grill housing 52. Formingpart of the rear frame 20 and respectively spaced vertically below theopposite sides of the hood 54 and bounding lower opposite side portionsof the engine compartment 50 are right and left longitudinally extendingchannel members, only the right member being shown at 60. The right andleft channel members are disposed such that their respective upper andlower flanges extend inwardly towards each other from respective outerplanar surfaces, only the planar surface of the right channel member 60being shown at 64. lnterconnecting the right and left channel membersand bounding the lower portion of the engine compartment 50 is a bottomstructure 68. A pair of rectangular openings are delineated at theopposite sides of the engine compartment 50 by respective lower edges ofthe opposite sides of the grill housing 52, by the upper flanges of theright and left channel members 60 and 62, by the reservoir 46 and by thegrill housing 52, the respective openings being closed by right and leftengine side shield structures 70 and 72 respectively supported by andextending vertically above the right and left channel members 60 and 62.

An engine 74 is supported on the rear frame 20 so as to be located inthe engine compartment 50. Located in the grill housing 52 and coupledto the engine 74 in a conventional manner for being driven by the engineis a blower-type fan 76 to the rear of which is located a radiator 78.It is to be understood that associated with the engine 74 and locatedwithin the compartment 50 are various elements requiring periodicservicing such as oil and fuel filters, various oil and fuel systemdrain or bleed screws and various engine cooling system drain cocks suchas those associated with the radiator and cylinder block.

Except for the fact that they are constructed so as to be respectivelyused on the right and left sides of the loader 10. the right and leftside shield structures 70 and 72 are identical. For the sake of brevity,only the right side shield structure assembly is described in detail.The engine side shield structure 70 includes an access door and baffleplate support structure comprising an angled base plate 80 extendingalong in overlying relationship to the upper flange of the right channelmember 60 and is secured thereto through means of a plurality ofvertical bolts 82. Extending upwardly from and having lower ends securedin transverse relationship to the base plate 80 are a plurality ofvertical support plates, a first of the plates being indicated by thereference numeral 84 and located adjacent the forward end of the sideshield structure 70, a second of the plates being indicated by thereference numeral 86 and located adjacent the rear end of the sideshield structure 70 and a third one of the plates being indicated by thereference numeral 88 and being in a location spaced a short distanceforwardly from the rear support plate 86. Extending longitudinallybetween the front and intermediate support plates 84 and 86 and havingits front and rear ends respectively secured thereto is an angled baffleplate 90 which is rectangular in side view and has upper and lower edges92 and 94 located equidistant from and located inwardly from ahorizontal longitudinally extending bend line 96. The upper portion ofthe side shield structure comprises a vertically disposed longitudinallyextending rectangular upper access door 98 having a lower portion whichoverlaps an upper portion of the baffle plate such that the upper baffleplate edge 92 is located behind the access door 98, as viewed in FIG. 3.Three hinges 100 are secured to the access door 98 at longitudinallyspaced locations along the bottom thereof, the first and second ones ofthe hinges being located adjacent the forward end and middle of the doorand connected to a pair of support brackets 102 which are in turnsecured to the baffle plate 90 while a third one of the hinges islocated adjacent the rear end of the access door and is supported on abracket 104 extending between and secured to the rear and intermediatesupport plates 86 and 88. The hinges 100 cooperate so as to define ahorizontal longitudinally extending pivot axis about which the accessdoor 98 is swingable between a closed position, as shown in the drawing,wherein it blocks access to the engine compartment 50 and an openposition wherein it is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in H6. 4,from its closed position.

For the purpose of releasably latching the upper access door 98 in itsclosed position, there is provided similarly constructed front and rearlatch structures 106 and 108. The latch structures 106 and 108respectively include latching elements in the form of latching rods 110and 112. The latching rod 110 includes a vertically extending centralportion 114 which is rotatably supported in upper and lower supportbrackets 116 and 118, respectively, fixed to the front support plate 84.The latching rod 110 further includes a transverse portion 120 whichinterconnects the upper end of the central portion 114 with a verticallyextending upper end portion 122 of the rod. Thus, it will be appreciatedthat, when the rod 110 is rotated about the longitudinal axis of thecentral portion 114, the upper end portion 122 will trace out an arcuatepath. As can best be seen in FIG. 7, the access door 98 has a horizontalbracket 124 integral therewith and provided with a latch elementreceiving receptacle 126 shaped and located for receiving the upper endportion 122 of the latching rod 110 when the latching rod is in itslatched position as shown. As viewed in FIG. 7, the lower end of thelatching rod 110 is bent rearwardly and then outwardly to form a handle128 which may be grasped by the operator to rotate the latching rodbetween latched and unlatched positions.

The rear latching rod 112 is constructed and mounted similarly to theforward rod 110. Thus, the latching rod 112 includes a vertical centralportion 130 rotatably supported in upper and lower brackets 132 and 134,respectively, fixed to the rear support plate 86. The latching rod 112further includes a transverse portion 136 which joins the upper end ofthe central portion 130 with a vertically extending upper end portion138. A bracket 40 is secured to the inside of the access door 98 and isprovided with a receptacle (not shown) similar to the receptacle 126 andhaving the upper end portion 138 of the latching rod 112 located thereinwhen the latching rod is in a latched position as shown. A handle 142 isformed on the lower end of the latching rod 112 to provide means bywhich the rod may be manually turned.

A bottom portion of the engine side shield structure 70 comprises alower access door 144 which has a lower horizontal edge which extendsadjacent the base plate 80 and which has an upper edge which is locatedabove the lower edge 94 of the baffle plate 90 and extends parallelthereto between the front of the shield structure 70 and a location justforwardly of the intermediate support plate 88 at which location theupper edge is stepped vertically upwardly to a location just below thelower edge of the upper access door and from which the upper edge of thelower access door extends rearwardly to the end of the side shieldstructure 70. Three hinges 146 are secured at longitudinally spacedlocations along the lower portion of the access door 144 and areconnected to the base plate 80. The hinges 146 cooperate to define ahorizontal fore-andaft extending pivot axis about which the lower accessdoor 144 is swingable between a closed operative position, asillustrated, wherein the door prevents access to the engine compartment50 and an open position, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, wherein thedoor is displaced 180 counterclockwise from its closed position andpermits access to the engine compartment.

Provided for the purpose of releasably latching the lower access door144 in its closed position are sub stantially identical front and rearlatch structures 148 and 150, respectively, which are located centrallybetween the front and intermediate vertical support plates 84 and 88. Ascan best be seen in FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, the front latch structure 148includes a horizontally disposed latching pin or rod 152 reciprocallymounted in front and rear vertically disposed ears ofa mounting bracket154 which is secured to the inside of the access door 144. When thelatching pin 152 is in a latched condition as shown, the forward end ofthe pin 152 is located within an aperture or slot 156 located in thefront vertical support plate 84. For the purpose of biasing the latchingpin to its latched position, a coil compression spring 158 is receivedon the rod and has its rear end engaged with the rear ear of themounting bracket 154 and has its forward end engaged with a washer 160which is held in place by a cotter pin 162 extending through the pin152. Forward movement of the latching pin 152 is limited by a cotter pin164 which is disposed to engage the rear side of the mounting bracket154 when the latching pin is in its latched position. The rear latchstructure 150 includes a latching pin or rod 166 which extendsoppositely from the latching pin 152 and is mounted for horizontalreciprocable movement in front and rear vertically disposed ears of amounting bracket 168 secured to the inside of the lower access door 144.When the latching pin 166 is in a latched position as shown, therearward end of the pin is received in an aperture or slot 170 formed inthe intermediate vertical support plate 88. For the purpose of biasingthe pin 166 to its latched position, there is provided a coilcompression spring 172 which is received on the pin and has its oppositeends engaged with the forward ear of the bracket 168 and a washer 174held in place on the rod by a cotter pin 176. A second cotter pin 178 isprovided in the latching pin 166 at a location wherein it abuts theforward side of the mounting bracket 168 to thus limit the rearwardmovement of the latching pin.

For preventing unauthorized entry into the engine compartment 50, asafety latch structure 180 is also provided for maintaining the loweraccess door in its closed position. The safety latch structure 180includes a strap-like latching element 182 which extends transverselyalongside an upper rearwardly facing portion of the intermediatevertical support plate 88, the latching element 182 being pivotallyconnected at an intermediate location thereof to the support plate 88through means of a horizontal longitudinally extending cap screw 184.The outer end portion of the latching element 182 extends through avertically elongated rectangular aperture 186 located in the access door144, the lower edge bounding the aperture being received in an upwardlyopening notch or receptacle 188 located along the underside of thelatching element 182. A security lock, shown here as a padlock 190,which may be of a well-known key-operated or combination type, isreleasably locked to an aperture provided in the outer end of thelatching element 182, the padlock 190 being too large to pass throughthe aperture 186 thus necessitating its removal before the latchingelement 182 can be disengaged from the door 144 to permit the latter tobe opened. The latching element 182 is biased to its latched positionthrough means of a coil tension spring 192 having one end connected tothe latching element 182 inwardly of the cap screw 184 and having itsother end connected to a bracket 194 which is cantilever-supported fromthe hinge support bracket 104.

In addition to preventing unauthorized access to the engine compartment50, the latch structure 180 prevents the door 144 from accidentallyfalling on the operator when the latching pins 152 and 166 are released.To carry out this operation, the notch 188 in the latching element 182is made sufficiently large so as to permit the door 144 to be tilted outfar enough to bring the latching pins 152 and 166 out of alignment withthe respective apertures 156 and 170 so that the operator may removeboth hands from the latching pins so that one hand can be used tooperate the latch element 182 while the other is positioned to supportthe door 144 when it is released.

Thus, it will be appreciated that when both the upper access door 98 andthe lower access door 144 are in their respective closed positions, thefront and rear latch structures 106 and 108 for releasably retaining theupper access door 98 in its closed position will be located entirelywithin the engine compartment 50 and will thus be inaccessible from theexterior of the compartment. Further, when the lower access door 144 isin its closed position, it is disposed closely adjacent the respectiveends of the handles 128 and 142 of the latching rods 110 and 112 so asto prevent the latch structures 106 and 108 from becoming accidentallyunlatched. This relationship of the access door 144 to the handles canbe best appreciated with reference to FIG. 7. Accordingly, once apadlock is installed in the latching element 182 of the safety latchstructure 180, unauthorized opening of the engine compartment isprevented.

An operator support structure is made as an integral part of the accessdoor 144 so as to be located for supporting an operator when he isperforming periodic servicing of components located within the enginecompartment when the access doors 98 and 144 are open. Thus. theoperator support structure includes a narrow elongate platform 196 whichis formed as an integral leg of the access door 144 and is disposed soas to extend horizontally above the base plate 80, when the access dooris in its closed position, between a location just rearwardly of theforemost of the hinges 146 and a location just forwardly of theintermediate vertical support plate 88. A plurality of gussets 198 aresecured between the platform 196 and the inner wall of the door 144 tothereby provide support for the platform. A horizontal step 200 issecured to the inside of the lower access door 144 at a location betweenthe rear and intermediate vertical support plates 86 and 88 and at alevel above the platform 196. A pair of supports 202 are welded to theinside of the access door 144 and are respectively secured to the frontand rear sides of the step to thus provide support therefor. As can bestbe seen in FIG. 4, when the lower access door 144 is moved to its dottedline open position, the normally outer planar surface of the access doorwill be in engagement with the outer planar surface 64 of the rightchannel member 60 and the platform 196 and step 200 will extendoutwardly from the channel member 60, the step 200 now being disposed ata level below that of the platform 196. As can be seen in FIG. 1, afurther step 204 is disposed so as to be located vertically below thestep 200 when the access door is open. An operator then wishing toservice components located within the engine compartment 50 would firststep on the step 204 and from there go to the step 200 and then onto theplatform 196 if desired. It is here to be noted that the steps 200 and204 are located so as to be rearwardly of the rear pair of wheels 24, soas to be easily accessible to an operator, and that the platform 196extends between the engine compartment 50 and the upper portion of theright wheel 24. Further, it is to be noted that by providing the upperand lower access doors 98 and 144, the movement of the access doors totheir respective open positions is in no way hindered by the rear pairof wheels 24.

The operation of the right side shield structure 70 is brieflysummarized as follows. Assuming that the upper and lower access doors 98and 144 are in their closed positions as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,unauthorized access to the engine compartment will be prevented sincethe padlock 190 will prevent the latching element 182 of the safetylatch structure 180 from being disengaged from the lower access door 144and with this door closed, the latching rods 110 and 112 cannot bemanipulated to release the upper access door 198. Further, the loweraccess door 144 will prevent any accidental movement of the latch rodhandle 128 and 140 in a direction for disengaging the respective upperend portions 110 and 112 from their respective receptacles.

Further, with the doors in their closed positions, both portions of thedoors 98 and 144 which overlap the baffle plate 90 will cooperate withthe baffle plate to define paths for the passage of air and sound waves.

Should the operator desire to perform service on any of the componentslocated within the engine compartment 50, he will first remove thepadlock 190 from the latching element 182. His next step will be tosimultaneously manipulate the horizontally arranged latching pins orrods 152 and 166 so as to respectively disengage them from the apertures156 and 170. The operator will then tilt the upper end of the loweraccess door 144 outwardly to the extent permitted by the notch 188 inthe lower side of the latching element 182. At this time the ends ofthelatching pins 152 and 166 should be disposed out of alignment withrespective apertures 156 and 170 and the operator may then release thelatching pins. He will next raise up on the outer end of the latchingelement 182 to disengage it from the access door 144 and the latter willthen be swung to its open-line position as shown in FIG. 4. The step 200and the platform 196 will now be exposed and the operator may supporthimself thereon for subsequent steps of the operation. If it is requiredthat the upper access door 98 be swung to its open position in order forthe operator to perform the necessary service, he will grab one of thehandles of the latching rods 110 and 112 and pull on the same to causethe upper end of the rod to be disengaged from the associatedreceptacle. The operator will then similarly manipulate the otherlatching rod with one hand while having the other free to lower theaccess door 98.

Once the operator has performed the necessary service, the upper accessdoor 98 will first be returned to its closed position and the latchingrods 110 and 112 will be rotated to their respective latched positions.Next, the operator will grasp and retract the latching pins 152 and 166and simultaneously swing the lower access door 144 to its closedposition. Once the door is in place the pins are released and thesprings 158 and 172 act to latch them. The element 182 will now belocated in the aperture 186 and be engaged with the door 144. To securethe compartment 50, the padlock 190 is then installed.

We claim:

1. In an industrial vehicle of a type including a longitudinal framesupported on ground-engaging means, an engine located on the frame andlocated in an engine compartment bounded at its top by a hood, at oneend by a grill housing and at its opposite sides by opposite,longitudinally extending, generally vertically disposed side shieldstructure, the improvement comprising: at least one of the side shieldstructures including separate first and second access doors located oneadjacent the other between the frame and hood; door support meansconnected to the vehicle frame and disposed inside said compartmentbeside said doors; each of said doors being pivotally mounted on saidsupport means for swingable movemenl between respective closed positionswherein the doors are generally vertically disposed and cooperate withthe hood, frame and support means to block access to the compartment,and respective open positions displaced angularly from said oper ativepositions, wherein access is permitted'to the compartment for servicingthe engine; manually operable first and second latch means connected tothe support means and respectively operable for selective latchingreception in first and second receptacle means respectively of saidfirst and second doors for retaining said doors in their closedpositions; said first latch means including manually operable securitylock means positioned exteriorly of the compartment and operative forpreventing removal of said first latch means from said first receptaclemeans; and said second latch means being located so as to be entirelyinside said compartment whereby said security lock means must beunlocked, said second latch must be unlatched and the i first door swungto its open position in order to provide access to the second latchmeans for permitting the unlatching thereof and the opening of thesecond door.

2. The industrial vehicle defined in claim I wherein said door supportmeans includes a longitudinally extending upright baffle plate meanspositioned alongside the engine.

3. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said first andsecond doors respectively include horizontal lower edges which extendparallel to each other; and first and second hinge means respectivelyconnected between the support means and said first and second loweredges.

4. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein the second hingemeans include means connected to said baffle plate means.

5. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said first latchmeans includes a first latch element mounted for vertical swingingmovement about a horizontal, longitudinal axis between latched andunlatched positions; said first latch element including an outer endlocated outside of said compartment and having a notch formed in anunderside portion thereof; said first receptacle means being an aperturein said first door located such that a lower edge portion thereof isreceived in said notch when the first door is in its operative positionand the latch element is in said latched position; biasing means urgingsaid first latch element to said latching position; said security lockmeans being mounted on the outer end of said latch element and includingblocking means engageable with said first panel for preventing saidlatch element from being removed from said aperture whereby said latchelement is retained in its latched position,

6. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said first andsecond doors are located one above the other and are respectivelymounted for swingable movement about respective horizontallongitudinally extending axes; said second latch means including atleast one latch rod having a central vertical portion mounted forrotation about a vertical axis passing longitudinally therethrough, andhaving a first end portion disposed adjacent said second door when thelatter is in its closed position, said first end forming a latchingportion offset from and extending parallel to said central verticalportion for tracing a predetermined are when said rod is pivoted aboutsaid vertical axis between a latched and an unlatched position; saidsecond door being provided with an arcuate receptacle means disposed forreceiving said latching portion of said latch rod when the latter isrotated to its latched position while the second door is in its closedposition.

7. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 6 wherein said one latch rodincludes a second end disposed adjacent said second door, when thelatter is in its closed position, and forming a handle offset from saidvertical axis and grippable by an operator for rotating said latch rodbetween latched and unlatched positions; and said handle including aportion disposed closely adjacent said first door, when the latter isclosed and the latch rod is in its latched position, and such that thefirst door blocks movement of the handle and thus movement of the latchrod to its unlatched position thereby ensuring that the latch rod willnot become accidentally unlatched during operation of the vehicle.

8. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 2 wherein said baffle platemeans includes a plate which appears substantially rectangular in sideview and which is angled between upper and lower edges thereof such thatupper and lower portions of the plate form an inwardly opening angle;said support means including a pair of vertical plate membersrespectively joined to opposite ends of the plate, as considered in thelongitudinal direction; and a third latching means mounted on said firstdoor so as to be disposed between said vertical plate members when thefirst door is in said closed position; said first and second verticalplates respectively having first and second apertures therein; saidthird latching means including first and second rods respectivelymounted for reciprocable movement into and out of said last-mentionedfirst and second apertures when said first door is in said closedposition; and biasing means urging said rods towards reception in saidapertUl'BS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patentlkn3,865,210 Dated 11 February 1275 Invamorkn Cyril William Von Fummetti;David Dennis Latham It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Cover Sheet, [75] Inventors: change "Fummetti" to Fumetti.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of May 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

. C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents AttestingOfficer and Trademarks USCOMM-DC 6037G-P59 U-S. GOVIINIIENT PRINTINGOFFICE ll! 0-88-334,

F ORM PO-1050 (10-69)

1. In an industrial vehicle of a type including a longitudinal framesupported on ground-engaging means, an engine located on the frame andlocated in an engine compartment bounded at its top by a hood, at oneend by a grill housing and at its opposite sides by opposite,longitudinally extending, generally vertically disposed side shieldstructure, the improvement comprising: at least one of the side shieldstructures including separate first and second access doors located oneadjacent the other between the frame and hood; door support meansconnected to the vehicle frame and disposed inside said compartmentbeside said doors; each of said doors being pivotally mounted on saidsupport means for swingable movement between respective closed positionswherein the doors are generally vertically disposed and cooperate withthe hood, frame and support means to block access to the compartment,and respective open positions displaced angularly from said operativepositions, wherein access is permitted to the compartment for servicingthe engine; manually operable first and second latch means connected tothe support means and respectively operable for selective latchingreception in first and second receptacle means respectively of saidfirst and second doors for retaining said doors in their closedpositions; said first latch means including manually operable securitylock means positioned exteriorly of the compartment and operative forpreventing removal of said first latch means from said first receptaclemeans; and said second latch means being located so as to be entirelyinside said compartment whereby said security lock means must beunlocked, said second latch must be unlatched and the first door swungto its open position in order to provide access to the second latchmeans for permitting the unlatching thereof and the opening of thesecond door.
 2. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein saiddoor support means includes a longitudinally extending upright baffleplate means positioned alongside the engine.
 3. The industrial vehicledefined in claim 1 wherein said first and second doors respectivelyinclude horizontal lower edges which extend parallel to each other; andfirst and second hinge means respectively connected between the supportmeans and said first and second lower edges.
 4. The industrial vehicledefined in claim 1 wherein the second hinge means include meansconnected to said baffle plate means.
 5. The industrial vehicle definedin claim 1 wherein said first latch means includes a first latch elementmounted for vertical swinging movement about a horizontal, longitudinalaxis between latched and unlatched positions; said first latch elementincluding an outer end located outside of said compartment and having anotch formed in an underside portion thereof; said first receptaclemeans being an aperture in said first door located such that a loweredge portion thereof is received in said notch when the first door is inits operative position and the latch element is in said latchedposition; biasing means urging said first latch element to said latchingposition; said security lock means being mounted on the outer end ofsaid latch element and including blocking means engageable with saidfirst panel for preventing said latch element from being removed fromsaid aperture whereby said latch element is retained in its latchedposition.
 6. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein saidfirst and second doors are located one above the other and arerespectively mounted for swingable movement about respective horizontallongitudinally extending axes; said second latch means including atleast one latch rod having a central vertical portion mounted forrotation about a vertical axis passing longitudinally therethrough, andhaving a first end portion disposed adjacent said second door when thelatter is in its closed position, said first end forming a latchingportion offset from and extending parallel to said central verticalportion for tracing a predetermined arc when said rod is pivoted aboutsaid vertical axis between a latched and an unlatched position; saidsecond door being provided with an arcuate receptacle means disposed forreceiving said latching portion of said latch rod when the latter isrotated to its latched position while the second door is in its closedposition.
 7. The industrial vehicle defined in claim 6 wherein said onelatch rod includes a second end disposed adjacent said second door, whenthe latter is in its closed position, and forming a handle offset fromsaid vertical axis and grippable by an operator for rotating said latchrod between latched and unlatched positions; and said handle including aportion disposed closely adjacent said first door, when the latter isclosed and the latch rod is in its latched position, and such that thefirst door blocks movement of the handle and thus movement of the latchrod to its unlatched position thereby ensuring that the latch rod willnot become accidentally unlatched during operation of the vehicle. 8.The industrial vehicle defined in claim 2 wherein said baffle platemeans includes a plate which appears substantially rectangular in sideview and which is angled between upper and lower edges thereof such thatupper and lower portions of the plate form an inwardly opening angle;said support means including a pair of vertical plate membersrespectively joined to opposite ends of the plate, as considered in thelongitudinal direction; and a third latching means mounted on said firstdoor so as to be disposed between said vertical plate members when thefirst door is in said closed position; said first and second verticalplates respectively having first and second apertures therein; saidthird latching means including first and second rods respectivelymounted for reciprocable movement into and out of said last-mentionedfirst and second apertures when said first door is in said closedposition; and biasing means urging said rods towards reception in saidapertures.